feeding quail - don't make the mistake I did!

[bkvail]

I ran out of game bird feed, so I fed my quail chicken layer crumble since I had plenty of that - and thought I'd get game bird when we got paid - it had only been a few days on the chicken layer when they quit laying eggs completely! I am off to get game bird crumble tomorrow, won't make that mistake again!

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

we were a little short on money and had to buy a cheaper feed than my quail normally eat - my coturnix did not stop laying eggs but instead they laid them and than ate them !!!

so we hurried up and got them on the normal feed and they stopped eating thier own eggs

but I had one lay a soft shelled egg that must have broke all I found was the shell thing with no yolk and one of my girls has stopped laying

it could be the heat it has been around 97-98 deg lately

 

[shelleyd2008]

Switching their feed like that is a 'change' to some, much like moving them would be. Some birds just take it in stride, and others it will really throw them off. Even after you switch them back to their regular feed, it could take them a few days or even weeks to start laying again.

 

[tumra]

I change between chicken starter and turkey starter for my quails all the time and something like that has never happended to me. Maybe it is something else that is causing this behaviour...

 

[monarc23]

could be protien change...

 

[tbone]

i changed my quail to a higher protein on last monday and they quit laying on saturday how long to it take yours to quit???

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
okay then maybe protien drop has nothing to do with it, then probably is just the change in feed but I'm having a hard time agreeing with either cause.


Just changed my birds on friday to a higher game bird feed, no one has stopped laying

 

[Goldlaced_Girl]

mine are on blue seal gamebird layer crumbles and are laying twice a day!

I think it's 19% protein?

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
"blue seal chick 'n game bird starter/grower"? Edited to say never mind you said "layer crumbles" LOL I'm feeding my adults the chick and starter because of the higher protien content works great

If so it's 22% highest I could find. Still low for coturnix, but highest I can find, and the egg production is a few extra eggs a day!

(amungst supplimenting with other protien sources).

 

[simplyscrambled]

I just bought my first 50# bag of turkey/game bird starter. it's 27% protein! And expensive, $16.25. And medicated! I went to my favorite feed store, family owned. That was the only 'choice' I had. How does that compare?